Love's Guardian
by Sienna-shirou
Summary: NightxRiiko Night's returned- mind, body and soul! Well, MINUS the body part. Now, seeing each other's thoughts can be such a hassle... Riiko and Night put it to the test! Romance and fluff for NightxRiiko lovers.
1. Wishful Thinking

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

**Love's Guardian- Chapter One: Wishful Thinking**

**Full Summary:** NightxRiiko Night's returned- mind, body and soul! Well, MINUS the body part. Now, seeing each other's thoughts can be such a hassle... Riiko and Night put it to the test! Romance and fluff for NightxRiiko lovers.

-x-

_Riiko. Riiko. Riiko._

She was his entire life, the one object of his affections.

Night watched over her, thinking. It had been months since he had left that world. She was back to normal now, and Night was glad that Soushi was taking care of her. All he wanted was for Riiko to be happy. Even if she was without him, he would cope. Somehow.

He didn't know exactly where he was. He didn't have his perfectly manufactured body; no, that was still encased in glass deep inside Kronos Heaven. All Night seemed to have was his thoughts and memories.

He watched Riiko every moment of every day. Sometimes he gazed above, other times it was like he was walking right beside her. His mood brightened several notches as Riiko laughed, a beautiful clear sound. It seemed to Night that it came straight from her soul.

_I missed that laugh._ He realized this as a fresh wave of memories washed over him. The spa, Riiko's parents coming home, her job- these were all memories of love and fun times that Night would never forget as long as he existed, some way or another. He also remembered how Soushi had been his love rival, how he had fought valiantly for a place in the young girl's heart. He was glad that Soushi and himself had ended up as friends.

Night drifted along next to Riiko. She and Soushi were on a date, although it was less casual than most. Past the worry and concern in Soushi's eyes (it had been there ever since he had returned from Spain), Night could sense something else. Love. He knew that Riiko was one of the main things the boy wanted in his life, the girl he had cared for and protected for so many years. _I will do the same,_ Night thought firmly to himself. _I will protect her too. She just won't know I'm there._

_How will this turn out?_ He wondered. _Would Soushi and Riiko get married? Will they share their long, happy lives together?_ Of course, Night had asked himself the exact same questions when he had been Riiko's boyfriend, often times during the night when he was holding her form tightly to his, listening to the sound of her heartbeat.

Ah, night. He still heard Riiko crying out for him in her sleep, hands reaching out while tears unknowingly ran down her face. That was his least favorite part of the day. He hated to see her like that. If only he could hold her, cradle her, until her face was dry and everything was alright. _Anything to make Riiko happy,_ he thought. He really was glad she had Soushi now. They were perfect for each other.

_And where does that equation leave me? I'm not- wasn't- human, and I'm even less that that now! If only there was a way to see her head, to-_

"Riiko? Riiko, what's wrong?" Soushi asked anxiously. Riiko had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, her eyes wide. She was completely still.

_No, no way,_ Night thought._ It couldn't really happen, it was just a-_

_**Night? **_Riiko's voice echoed in his mind.

They could see into each other's thoughts.

**Author's Note: Okay, I hoped you guys liked it! More chapters coming soon. I'll try to keep this author's section short so I don't scare off potential readers :)**

**I do spell Soushi's name with a 'u', not like Soshi. Sorry guys.**

**Reviews are nice, but I'm not going to cry if I don't get any. :) If you guys have time, I'd appreciate it. Comments, thoughts, whatever. Suggestions are welcome too.**

**Sienna-shirou**


	2. Dreaming of You

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

**Love's Guardian- Chapter Two: Dreaming of You**

-x-

_N-Night? Is that you?_ The question resounded through his head. Riiko was ignoring Soushi, who was frantically trying to get her attention.

_Yeah, it's me,_ Night thought, hoping she would hear it. He sounded braver than he felt.

Riiko POV:  
Riiko dropped to her knees, eyes wide. _Am I going crazy? What's wrong with me? What is this?_ The thoughts all scrambled to the front of her mind.

_Riiko calm down. I'm not sure what's happening either, but you'd better reassure Soushi that you're okay._

Reality seeped in. Soushi was shaking her, down on the sidewalk with her. "Riiko! Riiko! Answer me!" His eyes darted across her face, searching for something, anything.

"I'm okay," she said faintly, looking up at him. The sun shone bright in her eyes. "I just... I need to go home."

"Are you sure? Are you sick? Do you need a doctor, Riiko?" He was still frantic.

"Just dizzy," she mumbled, faltering on the lie. She wasn't dizzy. She was insane.

"You're sure? Do you want me to carry you?" Soushi was pulling her up now. He didn't look reassured.

"I don't-" she started. _Say yes,_ Night said in her mind, sounding void of any emotion. "Yes," Riiko said, taking his advice. Soushi scooped her up in his arms and started back to his car whicch was about a block or two away.

_Keep talking,_ the voice said in her head firmly. _Or he'll get even more worried._

"U-um, am I heavy?" Riiko asked. Soushi glanced down at her. "Of course not. Very light." His voice was strained with the effort of sounding fine. Riiko could see that he was very tense.

_I guess that didn't work,_ Night sighed. Seeing as how Soushi was too worried to be normal, Riiko decided to talk to Night.

_Are you real? You're not a hallucination?_

_I don't think so, but let's talk later. Rest now, Riiko._

Obediently, she somehow managed to, falling into a light sleep in Soushi's arms.

_My Riiko,_ Night added.

-x-

She opened her eyes. A beautiful scenery of nothingness met her, save for the misty fog on the ground. Color was not important in Riiko's head.

"Riiko." A voice softly called out to her. She turned, hair flying. There he was, a vision of pure beauty, standing out amongst the background.

"Night!" she gasped. She ran towards him, almost not believing what she saw. He opened his arms for her and they both tumbled to the ground. Riiko had her arms wrapped around his neck and sobbed into his chest, clinging fiercely to him all the while. He buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair and inhaled deeply.

"Hey there, don't be sad," Night said to her. The sobs racked her body and the tears drenched his shirt.

"I-I'm not, you dork," she choked out. "I'm just so happy to- to-"

"Me too," Night murmured. They stayed like that for a long time, listening to each other's breathing. Riiko was in pure ecstasy now that her crying had stopped. A content look graced her face.

"Did you miss me?" Night asked quietly. The sound of his voice made her cry all over again.

"Of c-course. How could I not?" she said.

"Oh... just checking." She gazed up at him, her tear streaked face demanding an explanation. "I just thought... Soushi-"

"I can't believe you!" Riiko exclaimed. She started to sit up, but Night pulled her to his chest again. She frowned. "You think that Soushi could ever replace you? That I would _forget_ you? Is that what you thought?"

"No!" Night said. "Well, I, you seemed so back to normal."

"Just because I was back to normal doesn't mean I was happy," she pointed out. "You'll always be my true love."

"But I'm not human. I'm not even _alive_ right now," he reminded her. "You should get on with your life and-"

"Don't you see?" she interrupted him. "I have moved on." Night's eyes stopped shining, hearing this. "As much as I can," she continued. "There's only a little part of me that can manage to keep going. I can't forget you."

Moments later that sparkle in his eyes gleamed again. "If that's how you want it. I can't really complain." Part of him was mourning for Riiko, sad that she loved a figure. The other side of him was bursting, happy that she still wanted him and not Soushi.

Now that she was satisfied, Riiko moved on to a less mushy subject. "So, what's been going on? Have you been here, in this place, the whole time?" She gestured to their surroundings.

"No Riiko," he said, turning red for some reason. "I've, uh, been with you the whole time..."

The timer in his head started. _3... 2... 1..._

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Riiko screeched. "You've been WATCHING me?!" She stood up, blushing furiously. Her eyes seemed ablaze.

"No, no!" Night said, wincing. "It's not like that, I'm protecting you!!" _With the occasional peek,_ he admitted mischievously to himself.

SLAP.

"I can hear your thoughts, you sicko!"

"Oh, forgot about that..." he said, grinning. He rubbed his check. _You slap hard, Riiko,_ he thought, knowing that she would hear it.

_Good think I learned, huh?_

_You won't slap me if I do this, will you?_ he thought.

_Do wha-_ Already Night had her face in his hands, giving her no time to finish. Soon they were kissing, savoring the fact that they were together, even if it might only be a dream.

**Author's Note: Alright, I'm not going to lie. Those reviews, story alerts, favorites, everything- they all made me happy... I'm really glad people like my story. Corrections, reviews, anything on this chapter are all appreciated. Thanks!**

**Sienna-shirou**


	3. Troubles Put to Rest

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything.

**Love's Guardian- Chapter Three: Plans and Troubles Put to Rest**

Riiko awoke to find herself in her bedroom, peaceful as ever.

_Dang. It was all a dream,_ she thought wistfully.

_My shirt is still wet Riiko,_ came a laughing voice. _And did I mention that I love you?_

_Haha, sorry. _ _And I'll remember that. _She smiled, blushing. _Oh,Ni-_

"Riiko!" She opened her eyes. Soushi was there, sitting on a chair next to her bed. He was good-looking as usual, a gorgeous Asian beauty. Even in just a green polo and casual, faded jeans, he would always stand out among the crowd. "Are you better now?"

"Huh?" Her head was still filled with memories and thoughts of Night and the time they had shared in her dream.

"You were dizzy, and then you fell asleep," he prodded. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she said. "How long was I asleep?"

"A couple hours. It's around five now."

Riiko's mouth fell open. "And you stayed with me that long?! You've got stuff to do, I'm sure, and-"

Soushi cut her off. "Of course I stayed, how could I not?" This reminded her of what she'd supposedly said to Night in her dream.

**Flashback**

"Did you miss me?" Night asked quietly. The sound of his voice made her cry all over again.

"Of c-course. How could I not?" she said.

"Oh… just checking."

**End Flashback**

"…and I didn't have anything to do," Soushi continued. I had the whole day planned out to be with you, remember? We were on a _date,"_ he emphasized. Something in his eyes was different when he said this.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry about that! I can make it up to you later," Riiko promised.

"Okay then." Soushi's eyes went back to normal. "Well, in any case, I changed and rescheduled all your plans for today and tomorrow so that you can stay here and rest." He got to his feet and put his black jacket on.

"Ehh?!" Riiko gasped. "I'm fine, and you can't just-"

"Believe me, I can," Soushi said darkly. "And you'd better not move from this bed or I'll have to turn to drastic measures." He strode over and kissed her lightly on her forehead. "Call me if you need anything." And with that, he left, closing the door.

He was being so protective.

_Well, at least he takes care of you,_ came the sullen voice.

_Oh, Night. Please don't start this again,_ Riiko thought worriedly.

_Alright then._

_Night, what's happened to you?_ she asked suddenly.

_Huh? What?_ he responded, suddenly alert with confusion evident in his voice.

_You're kind of more serious now… You're not my eccentric puppy dog anymore._

_Oh. Well. You really think that after months of seeing you cry yourself to sleep over me, feeling helpless and regretful, that I can just be the same person I was before? Wait, not a person- no, not even a figure anymore! I'm-_

_Hey, stop right there! First off, _she started, _I'll still love you no matter what you are. Second, it's not your fault. I had just lost the love of my life, so it's gonna take me awhile!_

_What? I was the love of your life?_ Riiko could hear surprise in his tone.

_Of course! You still are, she_ replied angrily.

_Oh…_

_Okay, so can we be alright now? _Riiko thought.

_Yeah, _Night responded happily.

-x-

Soushi looked out the window. It was around six o'clock now. He'd left Riiko's place an hour ago and he was still worrying. _Sometimes, it seems like love is a curse,_ he realized. It was true, he did love her. _I haven't been able to get anything done since I left… Riiko seemed to space out even more than usual..._

Just then an idea struck him. He could show her just how much he loved her- the girl must be hungry, and who wouldn't enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner? He got up to gather his cooking ware. He was going to make the dinner at Riiko's.

**Author's Note: Wow, I'm amazed that my story is this well liked. I'm very grateful for everything, thanks you guys! Reviews, comments, whatever- all appreciated. (Oh, and if anybody has any suggestions of what they'd like to see in the story, I'd be happy to hear them.)**

**Sienna-shirou**


	4. Fate Against Her

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything.

**Warning:** Just to let you guys know, there's some minor swearing in this chapter.

**Love's Guardian- Chapter Four: Fate Against Her**

"Riiko… Riiko, come on…" Surprisingly, it wasn't the voice or the hands that woke her, but the smell. Mmmm. It smelled delicious. What was it?

"Okay Riiko," came the voice, chuckling. "Now I know you want to eat my food. You're smiling." It was Soushi.

"Eh?" Riiko muttered. She opened her bleary eyes to see him sitting on the bed next to her. "Soushi, why are you here?"

"Don't tell me you've got amnesia too," he said, only half joking. "I _have_ to take care of you, and taking care of you means making you dinner when you're sick. Remember? I promised." Oh, yeah. It hit Riiko like a ton of bricks. He _had_ promised Night. Soushi didn't have to anymore though. Night was back, if only in her head.

"Riiko? You alright? I didn't mean to say that," Soushi said suddenly. "I know it's kind of painful for you, and-"

"It's okay," Riiko reassured him. "Let's eat now."

"Fine. I made one of your favorites," he said. Lifting her from the bed, he started walking for the kitchen.

"Hey. Lemme down. What is it which you lately?" Riiko said, annoyed. "My legs do work!"

Soushi glanced down at her, the fun-loving expression gone. "I promised. Remember?" These words that he spoke did not hold the same tone as they had just a few seconds before.

_What the heck? Does he have mood swings or something?_ Riiko thought.

_Maybe,_ Night agreed seriously.

_Um. You didn't just hear anything I just said._

_Okay. _She could hear the grin in his voice.

"Just because you _promised,_" Riiko said icily, putting emphasis on the last word, "does NOT mean you have to cart me around everywhere." She was getting rather angry.

"Dammit, Riiko!" Soushi put her down on her feet roughly and backed her against the wall. She could see the kitchen from their point in the hall- great, a fight and they weren't even sitting down?! He put his arms on either side of her, effectively blocking her view. "If carrying you everywhere so that you don't fall is protecting you," he continued, "then you can bet I'm gonna do just that! And I don't care what you say," he said, seeing her open her mouth. "I'm not going to budge on this one."

"Soushi, you are taking this WAY over the top!" she was yelling now. "When Night asked you to take care of me, he didn't mean to make sure I didn't take one step on my own!"

_How do you know?_ Night's voice in her head said, trying to lighten the situation.

"BE QUIET!" Riiko shouted. "Not more crap, not from you too!"

_Sorry,_ Night responded. She could tell that he genuinely meant it. Too bad that didn't stop all the questions that were bound to be coming.

"What? I didn't say anything yet!" an alarmed Soushi exclaimed. Then panic and worry claimed his features. "Riiko? Who were you talking to? Are you hearing voices in your head? Riiko?" Oh. My. Gosh. The problems didn't stop. Why was fate against her?

"Soushi…" she groaned.

"Listen to me Riiko," Soushi said, taking her face in his hands. If you're-"

"Soushi." Riiko interrupted him midspeech. She was about to deny the fact that she was hearing voices (or more specifically, one voice) but then an idea came to her. What if she _did_ tell Soushi about it? What would happen? "Sou-" Riiko was cut off by his bone-crushing hug, leaving her barely any room for air. "S-stop," she managed.

"Sorry." He quickly let go of her. "I'm just worried for you Riiko… voices? Spacing out like you are? That doesn't seem like you."

"Uh, yeah. Well. Um."

"What were you going to say before?"

She sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you."

"Please, Riiko." He sounded a tad desperate.

"If you did believe me you'd send me to the hospital."

"Riiko." He was getting impatient.

Riiko closed her eyes. _Night, what should I do?_

_Tell him about me,_ he immediately said. _Soushi won't send you away. Trust me._

Riiko decided to take his advice. "Soushi… What would you do if I told you that…"

"What?" he pressed.

"That… Night's in my head and we can hear each other's thoughts?" The words came out in a rush. She bit her lip, nervous for his reaction. All emotion seeped out of his face for a moment. His eyes turned black as he stared down at her.

"Sou…" Riiko started, but then stopped. Soushi was trembling. His hands closed into fists as he took a step back. He was… mad? Of all the emotions he could be feeling right now, why was he _angry?_

"Why is it," he muttered, his voice low, "that every time we have something even _remotely_ good going on, some obstacle comes in our way?" He didn't look at her as he strode out of the hallway and out the door. She heard the slam of his apartment door through the wall.

"Oh no," Riiko mumbled. It wasn't just anger. It was jealousy.

Ignoring the warnings the voice in her head threw at her, she followed Soushi's footsteps past the untouched dinner. She grabbed her wallet and stepped out, locking the door. She had time to kill.

If all the emotions didn't kill her first.

**Author's Note: Many thanks for everything! (I'm still in awe that you guys like this story, but I'll shut up about that for now.) About the minor swearing- I know that a lot of people are fine with swearing, but others are not. If anyone wants me to refrain from swearing in the story, like using little replacement dashes or something, please let me know. I'll do my best to please everyone.**

**Also- the whole promise thing that's in the story? I know that it was actually Night who promised Soushi that he'd take care of her, but just bear with me here. In a part, Soushi did say that he had to take care of her... so I'm just building off of that. Please just go along with it.**

**Are you wondering what's going to happen next...? Something big happens next chapter...  
**

**Sorry for the long author's note! I try to keep them short... Arigato everybody, Sienna-shirou**


	5. Midnight Enemies

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Love's Guardian- Chapter Five: Midnight Enemies**

The cold midnight wind blew across her face, mussing her hair. She didn't bother to fix it. It would just be messed up again later anyway. Keeping her head in her hands, she sighed.

Maybe that was how her life was- you fix one thing, another problem comes up. Her life had just messed itself up all over again. Night. Soushi. Night. Soushi. It seemed like all her problems revolved around those two guys.

She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Riiko had walked outside after Soushi left, letting her feet lead her. She'd ended up on a park bench near the local library. It was nighttime now, on account of her leaving hours ago.

Hours, and yet Night had not said a word. He'd seen everything, she knew. Maybe he thought she needed to be alone. Riiko appreciated it.

She lifted her head for the first time since she'd sat down. The park was abandoned. _'Of course it would be,'_ she realized. She'd heard people come and go- teens, families, older people. Now there was no one except for Riiko and the light of the moon. And Night, however silent he may be.

She was wrong for two reasons.

One, there was a few rowdy boys coming towards her. And two...

Night was gone. But, of course, Riiko didn't know that.

"Hey there," one of the boys called out to her. "What's a pretty girl like you doin' out here this late?" Never mind them being boys- they were older than that, looking about in their early twenties or late teens. And they might have been drunk. That was bad. Bad for a girl by herself, and at dark no less.

Riiko jumped to her feet. "Nothing," she mumbled, and then mentally scolded herself for responding at all. She started to walk away but was dragged back by one of them. _'Night...'_ she thought nervously. She hadn't realized how dependent she was on him.

"Hey, don't worry," the stranger said. "We're not gonna hurt you." He had a dangerous aura about him, long, jet-black hair with multiple piercings. His dark clothing added to her sense of worry. It seemed that the one holding onto her arm was the leader.

"Come on, don't you talk?" he chuckled, lightly shaking her.

"I think you've scared her," someone said.

"Whaddya say you come round to my place?" he said, ignoring the comment. His arms pulled her close to him in a vice-like grip. Riiko's stomach rumbled unexpectedly, earning laughter from them. "Or we can get something to eat first," he grinned. His teeth were sharp and scary looking, a pearl white color. How unusual for someone like him; she wouldn't expect them to be as if from a toothpaste commercial.

"N-no, thanks," she squeaked, pulling away. He held fast. _'Night, please come...'_ Something was wrong. He wouldn't ignore her like this.

"Come on, it's alright."

"S-sorry, I have to be home."

"They won't miss ya if you've been out here this long... Or do you have a boyfriend?" he frowned.

"Y-yeah, he's probably worried," she said, not even sure if she was referring to Night or to Soushi.

"I'm much better than him, trust me," he promised quietly. His eyes glinted. "You can be back by the morning." He started walking away, Riiko in tow.

"N-no," she gasped, struggling. The guy pulled harder, causing her to come into his arms.

"Fiesty," he remaked. That was when she kicked him. Hard. He fell to his knees in pain and let go of her, swearing loudly. Riiko backed away, frightened. "Oh no you don't," he growled. His hand lashed out and caught her ankle, making her crash to the ground. "That was a wrong move, miss." He didn't sound so nice anymore. "Look, let's be cooperative, shall we?" With that, he pulled her up roughly and swung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Help! Help!" Riiko yelled. Then she felt a blazing pain in her leg.

"Cooperative," he reminded her darkly, walking away from the scene. Riiko didn't want to be hurt again, so she wished for the one thing that she could. _'Night, Night, help me!'_ Seconds passed. _'Night, please...'_ she thought desperately. Nothing happened.

Having lost hope, she fell limp. "Now then, that's better love," the kidnapper said.

WHAM.

"Don't ever say the world 'love' when talking to Riiko," came a voice. She looked up.

Only one thing in the entire universe could cause her entire being to fill up with hope like that. It was him.

Night.

Riiko was suddenly a thousand miles away, looking down. Her mind wasn't working right. She was seeing things. How could he be here? Was she dreaming again? Would she wake up in just a few moments...

He dragged her away and pushed her behind him. "Don't come near her again," he ordered.

"Why you-" their enemy snarled. He cracked his knuckles menacingly, face red from where he'd been punched.

"Don't come near her again," Night repeated. "Or you won't live to see the next day. Now leave."

"Come on Daiki, let's go," said the one nearest him. _'Daiki. So that was his name.'_ Swearing, he complied. His lackeys trailed behind him, all of them sending glares to the pair. It was only when they were out of sight that Night turned to Riiko.

"Riiko," he said, expression softening. Seeing her injured leg, he picked up the shaky girl gently and started running.

"How can you be here?" she mumbled from the safety of his arms. It was like discovering him alive all over again.

"Later." Although it was soft, his tone left absolutely no room for arguing. "We'll talk about that soon enough, but now's not the time." His eyes gazed at her, a million expressions in them. Anger, relief, happiness, and most of all, love.

Just this once Riiko listened. She was searching for answers, but they could wait for the moment. She was with Night for real, and not in a dream- how often did that happen nowadays?

Exhausted, Riiko closed her eyes. _'Just this once,'_ she told herself.

**Author's Note: Scary, huh? I told you something big was going to happen... but Night's back! That makes me happy. You'll find out how it all happened next chapter... Oh, and by the way, the name Daiki apparently means 'big and shining.' I thought that the word big would be talking about his height, and shining would refer to his eyes. **

**Thank you for all the support everybody!**

**Arigato, Sienna-shirou**


	6. Explanations and Doubts

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Warning: **Swearing in this chapter.

**Love's Guardian- Chapter Six: Explanations and Doubts**

"What the HELL are you doing here?!"

"Hey, later alright? You'll wake her up!"

Undoubtedly, it was Soushi's and Night's voices. She'd know them anywhere. Riiko opened her eyes. They were standing at the door to her apartment, making the hallway look a tad cramped. Soushi was standing there with his mouth agape, shocked at the sight of his former love rival. Night was calm as ever with this seemingly new personality of his.

"I'm awake!" Riiko exclaimed. "Soushi, don't worry, it's just-"

"How am I supposed to not worry when this guy shows up again? He's supposed to be _gone_, and now he's suddenly on your front doorstep, not to mention in your head?!" He was glaring at her now, as if she'd done something wrong.

"Oh great," Night groaned. They all stared at one another for a moment until he spoke again. "I was hoping this could wait til tomorrow, but I guess that's not going to happen..."

"Damn right that's not going to happen! I'll open your apartment Riiko," he said coldly, digging out a key from his pocket. Apparently he still had the spare that Riiko's parents had given him a while ago when they'd left. She probably had his key too... somewhere. In seconds, they were all seated in Riiko's room, Riiko under the covers, Night sitting next to her and Soushi in a chair by the girl's side. It was one in the morning.

"Everything," Soushi demanded. He was obviously not happy, looking rumpled and out of his area of expertise.

"Fine," Night said. Glancing at Riiko, he took a deep breath and started to tell the story.

"Ever since I malfunctioned," he began, "I've been watching over Riiko. Making sure that she was doing okay, you know. Not like a stalker or anything though," he pointed out quickly. Soushi had a genuine look in his eyes, perhaps grateful for what his old classmate was telling him. "I was happy that you were taking care of her Soushi, or at content. However, after awhile, that changed."

Night paused and inhaled deeply. It was then that Riiko noticed there was something different about him, something not quite right. She couldn't quite place her finger on it though...

"I found myself wondering if you were taking my place. I wanted to get back into Riiko's life. I wanted to, ah, get inside her head as a way of saying it." Soushi froze for a minute at this. "Then, all of a sudden, we could hear each other in our thoughts. We could meet in dreams. Everything was surreal." A smile crossed both Riiko's and Night's faces, while a slight scowl came across Soushi's.

**Flashback**

All emotion seeped out of his face for a moment. His eyes turned black as he stared down at her.

"Sou…" Riiko started, but then stopped. Soushi was trembling. His hands closed into fists as he took a step back. He was… mad? Of all the emotions he could be feeling right now, why was he _angry?_

"Why is it," he muttered, his voice low, "that every time we have something even _remotely_ good going on, some obstacle comes in our way?" He didn't look at her as he strode out of the hallway and out the door. She heard the slam of his apartment door through the wall.

**End Flashback**

"Wait... so you were in her head just like that?" Soushi said.

"I guess. I'm not really sure what happened." Night had a cute confused look on his face. Riiko got that feeling again, that something was different. "Anyway. When Riiko left the apartment a few hours earlier," Night continued, skipping over the conversation that was running through all of their minds, "she was-"

"I sat on a park bench for hours," interrupted Riiko. "Yes yes, we know." She was anxious to get on to the reason as how Night was back.

"He doesn't," Night said at the same time Soushi pointed out, "I don't!"

"A couple of guys came by and started bothering her. I'll skip the details of that. She-"

"You'd better damn well give me the freakin' details," Soushi growled at once.

"I'd rather not," said a taken aback Night. "You'd get angry."

"And I'm not now?!"

"You guys!" Riiko exclaimed. "It's one in the morning! You'll wake people up!" She was a bit eager to hear what Soushi would say. "Just tell him Night."

"Fine," he grumbled. "A couple guys- older than you and me- tried to get her to come home with them. They were drunk and wouldn't listen to her."

Soushi looked like he could punch something for a minute, but he walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "Riiko," he mumbled. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you."

"And that's where I came in," Night said, nuzzling Riiko's shoulder. He was obviously trying to end the Kodak moment between the two. "Riiko called for help in my head. And I came and saved her, and here we are."

"Being the knight in shining armor, of course," Soushi said sarcastically, a bit disgruntled as he pulled away from the girl.

"Yup!" Night completely missed the resentment in his tone.

"That's the part I don't get," Riiko spoke up. "How could you just show up?"

"And as a human no less," Soushi added.

There. _That_ was what Riiko had been missing. Night wasn't a perfect, multi-language speaking robot anymore- he was _human!_ That's why he'd been so slow getting her home, compared to the speed and agility he'd had before! _That_ was why his personality seemed different now- he had all the regular emotions of a normal person. Riiko was stunned. Night was _human._ Like her. _Human._

But how?

"Well... I'm not really sure," Night responded, looking thoughtful and tapping his chin (another cute gesture of his.) "If I had to guess as to why I was able to come back, I'd say it was because Riiko needed me..."

"That," Soushi said in disgust, "is one of the corniest reasons I could've ever heard." Night didn't even spare him a glance, keeping his eyes trained on the still stunned Riiko.

Without breaking his gaze, she said, "I really don't think it's that unbelievable. If he can get inside my head, then why not come back... but why human?"

Night shrugged.

Soushi shook his head. "Riiko. I think he's leaving something important out of this. Deliberately or not, I don't know." Night paled at this. "There you go." Taking one more look at the two of them, he stood up. "I'm not staying around, I've got to get some sleep. See ya." With a quick hug and a chaste kiss for Riiko, he walked out of the room. "Oh, don't forget Riiko," he called over his shoulder, "you still have a date to make-up with me sometime!" Slam.

And the two reunited lovers were alone.

"Is he going to be okay?" Night asked carefully.

"He just needs some time to cool off," Riiko said confidently (or what she hoped sounded confident.) "He'll be fine." She scooted closer to Night on the bed and settled in for the night, not bothering to change her clothes. He got up suddenly and turned off the light, but was back under the covers with her in a flash (figuratively.)

"Get a good night's sleep, love," came a whisper in the darkness. Her response was to hold him tighter.

**Author's Note: I hope you liked this long chapter! Once again, thanks for all the alerts, reviews, favorites, everything. I do have a question for you guys- would you rather the next chapter be a nice, relaxful chapter _or_ a chapter that's nice and relaxing but introduces you to the next event? (And it's a REALLY big event. I think. ;;) I don't want to be moving too fast in the story, but I can't write the ending of chapter seven until I get some input. :)**

**Arigato! Sienna-shirou**


	7. Average Couple

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Love's Guardian- Chapter Seven: Average Couple**

Walking down the street with hand in hand Night, Riiko smiled. It had been a while since she'd had no worries to ruin a good mood. First it had been Night in her head, and then Soushi getting mad. The incident with those guys at the park- that Daiki guy, really- had all happened yesterday. Her only _slight_ concern was if Soushi was alright, even though he'd repeatedly assured her earlier that morning with a phone call. (It was dumb, really- he lived right next door but she'd chosen to call.)

They were strolling on the sidewalk by the little stores and shops, not really planning to go anywhere. Riiko glanced up at Night and realized how lucky she was to have him- again. He caught her eye and gave her a smile, no words needed. Now they really were just the average couple, both human and both real. Although they weren't able to get into each other's thoughts anymore, they were still both completely happy.

"Hey, Riiko!" The voice of Yasutake-san called out to her. He was an elderly man but was full of energy and ran the ice cream parlor, Yasutake's (everyone made jokes about the creative name.) He treated Riiko like his own grandchild and was a close friend of her parents. Waving the young couple over, he said, "How about some cold ice cream on a hot day like this?" Then he looked over Night in his jeans and black muscle shirt, courtesy of Soushi (given reluctantly, of course.) "Who is this?" he asked curiously.

Before Riiko could introduce him, Night said, "I'm Night, Riiko's boyfriend." A slight smile found its way onto his face when he formed these words.

Riiko cringed. Never mind her having no worries. That was the one thing that she hadn't talked to Soushi about- her relationships and where they stood. He was likely to get angry, seeing as how they _had_ gone on a few dates... _'And I still have that date to "make up" with Soushi,'_ she remembered.

"I am Yasutake-san, it's a pleasure to meet you," said the store owner, bowing. "And it's nice to know that you have a boyfriend, Riiko. I'll be doing a background check on him," he winked, "and you can bet I'll be informing your parents of this."

"Hai, Yasutake-san," Riiko replied, face turning red as she remembered the time her parents had come home and found a guy in their home. "They've already met Night."

"Right," he said grinning, already heading back for his shop. Anyone could tell that he didn't believe her. "Come get some ice cream, you two. It's on the house!"

Five minutes later, Night and Riiko were seated outside the shop at a small garden table. "This is really good," said Night. "I can't-"

Just then, the familiar tune of the Ouran High School Host Club anime started playing- her ringtone. "Oh, that's my cell phone," Riiko said blushing.

"Kiss kiss fall in love...?" Night repeated to himself.

"Moshi moshi!" Riiko said into the phone.

"Riiko, chica! I meant to call you earlier, but-"

"Wait, who is this?"

"Gaku, who else?" Oh, right. Gaku-san was a success story among the locals at selling his takoyaki. It was delicious. "I wanted to call you earlier, but there wasn't time. They told me to tell you, said you wouldn't believe anyone else- somewhere, there's a human Night runnin' around out there! They only just found out!"

Riiko laughed. "You're a bit behind, Gaku-san. He's here with me."

"He's- wha?"

Riiko relayed the entire story of yesterday to him, or at least all the parts that involved Night. No need to get Soushi in there as much, they weren't that important.

"Well... that's quite a story," came Gaku's voice, not really sure of what he was hearing.

"I know! But hey, why are you calling me? How would you know about Night being human?"

"The guys a' Kronos still 'ad my number and figured tha' I'd be the best one to break it to ya. Nothin' special," he assured her. "I don't think they'll be meddlin' in your business this time though, considerin' what happened last time..."

"Good," Riiko said firmly. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Yeah, well, I'll be talkin' to you later Riiko," Gaku said. "Don't want to interrupt your _special time_ with Night, now, do I?"

"Um," Riiko said, blushing, "thanks. Talk to you later Gaku-san. Bye." Looking at Night, she said, "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about Kronos Heaven anymore."

"That's great," he said, licking his ice cream cone. He'd chosen strawberry while Riiko had chosen chocolate. "And so is this ice cream."

"You're not all that concerned about Kronos Heaven, are you?"

"Nope. Not while I'm with you." Night always had a way to make her heart melt, to make her attitude sunny on a cloudy day.

"Night," she sighed happily, becoming a bit pink in the face again. Nothing could ruin this moment.

**Author's Note: Nothing could ruin it, except for what happens next, right? Hehe, just something to get you wondering. Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts, everythng! It makes me so happy that you guys still like the story. Anyway, sorry you guys had to wait a week for this. From those of you that responded, you wanted this to be a slow, relaxing chapter. Hope you liked it. **

**Oh, and in case any of you were wondering, this takes place in summer vacation. That's why they don't have school.**

**Arigato, Sienna-shirou**


	8. Paranoia

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Love's Guardian, Chapter Eight- Paranoia**

"Done?" Riiko asked her companion sweetly. They were still out together, enjoying the shops and streets of town. For once, Riiko actually felt like a normal girl- which, essentially she was, if you forgot about her complicated love life (and the reasons behind it.) '_I wonder if many girls wish they could be in my position,'_ she thought, absentmindedly twirling her ring around her finger. Night wore the matching one; she'd managed to remember to grab them right before they'd left for the day.

"Yup," Night answered, tossing the wrapper of his ice cream into a nearby trashcan. Saying goodbye to Yasutake-san, the two walked away and down the street. "Aww, my fingers are all sticky," Night complained. Then a devilish smile crept it's way onto his face. "Maybe you could lick the ice cream off, Riiko."

"The girl beside him stopped. "Wha-what?" she stuttered. Now _this_ was just like him. Just like the old Night.

"Please Riiko?" He stepped closer to her, looking directly into her eyes, not caring if they were about to have a PDA in front of a ton of people, many of which knew Riiko. He waggled his fingers in front of her face, his arm drawing her close to him. Her face turned beet red.

That was all it took. "You're just so KAWAII!" Night exclaimed, dragging her into a tight hug. He nuzzled her hair softly, rubbing his cheek against her head, murmuring "My kawaii Riiko" all the while.

Just then, a passing car caught her attention. It was a black mercedes, windows tinted so that you couldn't see inside. The driver's window was rolled down, revealing a boy with curly, dark hair. And he seemed to be... smirking at her?

"What the..." Riiko breathed. She'd seen that face somewhere.

"Riiko?" Night asked questioningly, pulling away.

"Nothing," she answered. _'And it really is nothing,'_ she assured herself. _'I'm paranoid.'_

These thoughts didn't settle the uneasy feeling in her stomach.

"Do you want to go to that little jewelry cart over there?" Night pointed somewhere, already moving on to the next thing. Apparently, he didn't give the previous exchange much thought. _He_ hadn't seen the car, the person leering at them.

"Yeah, sure," Riiko said distractedly.

It turned out to be the same place where the couple had purchased their rings, right before Night had "died." A knowing look crossed both their faces as they exchanged glances, remembering the events that had come shortly after their last visit here. _'Nothing bad is going to happen. I'm paranoid,'_ Riiko reminded herself.

"See anything you like?" Night asked, watching her. He followed her eyes to a silver necklace, complete with a heart pendant, crystals embedded in its design. It didn't stand out among the other pieces beside it. Instead, it simply appeared to wait to be noticed. "You want that?"

"No," she replied, eyes lingering a few moments longer on the necklace. "Let's just go home."

Night stayed a few seconds longer, still looking at the necklace, before he ripped his gaze away and turned to hurry after the girl.

-x-

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Something wasn't right.

"Soushi?" Riiko called, knocking on his door. "Soushi, you there?" Nowadays he liked to be informed of when Riiko was home. He spent an awful lot of time in the Izawa's apartment these days. When she wasn't home, he could usually be heard in his kitchen, the radio playing or pots banging.

Silence greeted them this time.

"Huh. I guess he's not there," Riiko said, a slight frown on her face. She stepped aside and inserted her keys into her own apartment, allowing Night and her inside.

"Hey, what's this?" night said, bending down to pick up a piece of paper that had been slid under the doorway. His face visibly paled as he scanned the note.

"Let me see." Riiko took the paper from his reluctant hands and read:

_We have your friend, the Asamoto boy._

_Come to the lot across from the park if you want him back alive._

_-Daiki_

Soushi. They had Soushi.

**Author's Note: Well, that's a twist, isn't it? That's the big event I was talking about. ;; I'm glad you guys said that I should put a non-eventful chapter in between, that worked out well... And Night and Riiko had a cute little moment of fluff. :) I know that makes me happy.**

**For those of you that don't know, PDA means 'Public Display of Affection.'**

**As for that necklace... I happen to have one exactly like it. It may come up later in the story... just something to get you all wondering about. **

**Once again, thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and encouraging words! I'm so happy that I made it to 40 reviews, it's something I never imagined.**

**Arigato, Sienna-shirou**


	9. Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Love's Guardian, Chapter Nine: Darkness  
**

"I can't believe this," whispered Riiko, breaking the few moments of stunned silence between them. Too many emotions to count were written all over her face. Her best friend had been taken from her. He might be hurt, and it could be worse if she didn't go to save him. Riiko would have fallen to her knees if not for Night's strong, fixed arm that had snuck its way around her waist.

It seemed like the world was out to get her.

"It's going to be fine, Riiko," Night said, his voice steady. How could he speak such words that he didn't know were true, that didn't have a one hundred percent guarantee? "Soushi is strong, and he has a lot of willpower. He's not going to give in to them that easily. He'll be okay."

"W-when do you think we should go?" Riiko felt lightheaded, the situation becoming almost to much to bear. Her apartment was close to slipping in and out of focus; she had to hang onto Night as if he were her anchor. "It doesn't say a specific time."

"We? _I'm_ going to go. I can't have you hurt, Riiko, and I'm not willing to risk it by you meeting up with those creeps."

Riiko's mouth fell open. Who did he think he was? Daiki was most likely keeping Soushi so that he could aim for her, and she'd be damned if anything was going to stop her from getting to him. "I'm going to go whether you like it or not. I don't care what you say, but it would help if you weren't going all knight in shining armour on me."

Night frowned. "Riiko. You're staying here." He said it like it was a given, as if daring her to try and contradict him.

She glared at him and stepped away. "I'm going."

"No, you can't! I can't lose you." When he said this, something in his stony expression softened, making her heart melt a little bit a his words. He truly did care about her, but it was such a cliché moment. Girl wants to go somehwere, guy too concerned for her safety that he gets overly protective. Yeah. Except that in this case, it goes more like this: girl wants to go save her best guy friend from certain danger, and the boyfriend, who sort of died a while before but came back to life, is being cautious about their enemy and refuses to let her go.

How cliché, right?

"What about you, Night? You're mortal now too, without your super speed or your inhuman strength. I can't lose you, either," Riiko pointed out. Her temper was beginning to rise higher. "And Soushi's my friend. You can't keep me from him."

"Keep you from him?" Night repeated, looking aghast. "I'd never..."

"Okay then. If you're not going to keep me from him, let's go." Night looked like he was about to say something else, but thought better of it as he followed Riiko through the door.

-x-

Pictures flashed one after another in his inner mind's eye. Someone was hurt... A car ride... And now an empty, forgotten place. He felt pain, a headache, blood. Conversations repeated themselves in his thoughts. Nothing made sense.

Until someone said a name he recognized. The name of someone he cared about.

_Riiko._ Soushi tried to open his eyelids, but they were too heavy. _'The person who was injured is me,'_ he realized. He'd been injured by a group of guys, and then thrust into an unknown car. They'd stopped at a parking lot and gotten out. Now they just seemed to be... waiting. He vauguely tried to make sense of the talking around him.

"What did you do to him?!" someone shrieked. It was Riiko. She sounded far away, but close. Not close enough to touch, not close enough to feel her hand upon his face, brushing away any loose hairs on his forehead...

"Relax," another voice said. "He's fine. But he's not what we want." That was the person who had said Riiko's name before, one of his attackers.

"He doesn't look fine to me." Night. He was here too? Soushi wished that he could tell them to leave, but he was so tired he could hardly move an inch. "Give him back. _Now._"

"Yeah? You want him back that badly? Well, how about we make a trade? A proposal?"

"If it's got anything to do with Riiko, then you can cross it off the list right now," Night responded threateningly.

"No... I was think more along the lines of... you."

Silence followed. "You want me?"

"Yes, I think that-"

"No Night, you CAN'T!" Riiko interrupted. "I won't let you!"

"It's either Soushi or me," Night said suddenly.

"No," Riiko said in despair. It was just what Soushi had expected of her- she'd never pick between them. Not if the other one would die. But, of course, that wasn't counting when she'd chosen Night over himself in terms of lovers... "...can't choose." Soushi managed to catch her last sentence.

"You're going to have to," said the voice from before.

-x-

The scene was overwhelming. It looked like it was straight out of a horror mystery book. Daiki and his now silent groupies were there, and just behind them was a beaten up, slightly bleeding Soushi. He was leaning up against a chain link fence, unconscious. Riiko's only able ally was Night, and for some reason, he had suddenly turned on her, telling her to choose between Soushi and him. It was impossible.

"I-I want-" started Riiko, before she was interrupted.

By a cell phone.

Everyone (minus Soushi) looked around, breaking the thick tension. Daiki dove inside his deep pocket and flipped open his phone. "Talk to me," he said, eyes on Riiko. "What? Yes," he continued abruptly, switching his gaze to Night. "Yeah. Sorry. Okay." He closed the phone and started walking away, towards the fence. "Got to go, guys. Boss calls." At his words, all of Daiki's group followed him immidiately and jumped over the fence.

"Hey!" Night called, surprised by the turn of events. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Later! But this isn't the last you'll see of us," Daiki promised, talking over his shoulder as his pace quickened. A few moments later and they had disappeared into the dark.

Sparing no thought to be confused about what had just taken place, Riiko rushed over to Soushi. "Soushi," she murmured, holding his face gently. His eyes managed to flutter open, and he seemed to dimly recognize her. "Let's get him home, to the hospital, something," Riiko said to Night.

"There's no need for that." The voice wasn't Night's.

The figure of Gaku-san rustled out from the bushes, and he said, "Guys, yer goin' to have to come with me." His face was one hundred percent serious.

**Author's Note: Wow! Longer chapter... I'm really sorry about the wait, I've got a ton of things going on now. And I know I'm being really horrible, one cliffy after another, gomen!! D: But please continue to support me, and I greatly appreciate all the reviews, alerts, everything!**

**Arigato, Sienna-shirou**


	10. Answers

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Love's Guardian, Chapter 10: Answers  
**

He thought he would never see this place again. Not this place, full of bad memories and experiences. Not with his current situation. Not while he was _human._

Kronos Heaven Company.

Night and Riiko, clasping hands, stood before those who had once tried to bring about their relationship's downfall. Yuki Shirasaki, the CEO with the appearance of a child, was in the middle of the group of people, clearly important. Gaku-san looked at them with deep regret in his eyes, helpless. He had been there from the beginning of the original ordeal. Was he their enemy now? And why was Toshiki Shirasaki here, the figure who had once fought to be Riiko's boyfriend? Other unknown people were with them, making a group of ten or twelve.

Soushi had been taken away to be fixed up, seeing as how he had been suffering from injuries due to Daiki and his gang. Riiko had been unwilling to give him up to the Nurse, ironically the same one who had been 'in love' with him how many months ago, but the figure had insisted. And he needed the help.

"01- gomen, I mean _Night-san,_" began Yuki. "Glad to see you could make it to this little, ah... meeting." His voice was lofty and determined. He sounded like he knew he was going to get whatever he wanted from them, whatever it was- by any means necessary.

Night nodded- not agreeing with the statement, but rather acknowledging it. "Would you please tell us why you wanted us here?"

"Ah, so _professional._ You don't waste time, do you?" He leaned in closer, becoming even more business like. "But, you should know it's not so much an 'us' as only 'you'. Night," he said, dropping the honorific. "But I suppose you would prefer her to be here..."

"Excuse me," Riiko spoke up suddenly, standing up straighter, "but anything that has to do with Night has to do with me, too."

Yuki stared at her a moment. "Fine," he sniffed. "then I suppose both of you are wondering how Night became human?"

Both pairs of eyes widened. It was the moment they'd been waiting for, the answer to so many questions!

Just then the door slammed open. "Oi!" called a familiar voice. "Why'd you start without me?"

It was Daiki.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Night yelled, the sight of the newcomer sending him into an instant rage. "I want answers, NOW!" He wrenched his hand away from Riiko's and strode over to Yuki, only to be stopped by the ones surrounding him, probably acting as bodyguards. "I swear, if you don't tell me right now-"

"And I was just about to, before we were so rudely interrupted," Yuki said, calm as ever. It was a complete contrast to Night's menacing aura. Night stomped back over to Riiko and took her hand, shifting her slightly so that she was farther away from Daiki.

Daiki noticed this and laughed out loud. "Chill man, I'm not interested in her! That was all just a-"

"Ahem." Yuki cleared his throat loudly and glared. "I was just getting there."

Turning back to the two lovers, he began the story. "When your figure-self disapperared, Night- also when you became human- it was completely what we expected. It was us who did that. All us." Yuki sounded proud. "Our intelligence has been progressing at a fast rate for some time, and still is. You could say that youwere our guinea pig to try this out on, a test. And it worked."

Gaku-san broke in, responding to the questioning looks he was getting from Night and Riiko. "They 'ad me stage tha' phone call- the one where I was all surprised 'n all. 'Cept for one part- we really 'adn't known where he'd gone..."

"We? What do you mean we?"

"Uh," Gaku replied uncomfortably. "Yeah, I'm back with Kronos."

"Anyways," Yuki continued, not giving it a chance to sink in. "Daiki-san- and Shirasaki-" Toshiki Shirasaki waved- "were the ones who made it possible for you to be human. They're two of our head scientists, researchers, whatever." Researchers. Of course they'd know all about Riiko and her life if they were researchers. That's how they'd found out about Soushi, her address... and she hadn't even thought about that! "They then needed you to come to the lab- here, at Kronos- for research. However, we all figured you would refuse. Or you would," he said, looking at Riiko. "So it was decided then and there that we would somehow get you to come here, Night... by whatever means necessary."

"You shouldn't have to hurt people to do that! Soushi is horribly injured!" Riiko exclaimed impatiently. How could they kidnap people, beat them up, and threaten all for the name of _research?_

"_Was_ horribly injured. Not anymore." Night and Riiko turned around to see the said person behind them, looking perfectly fine. He must've caught the explanation- otherwise he'd have been picking a fight with Daiki.

"Soushi!" Riiko ran towards him, and he caught her in a tight hug.

Night winced, but turned back to Yuki. "That explains a lot, except for one thing. What about the 'talking in each other's heads' part? Doesn't that seem kind of vital?" Riiko and Soushi pulled apart, and they both hurried back up by Night.

Yuki blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Night said. "Riiko and I could talk to each other, hear each other's thoughts."

"Before he came back, Riiko added.

Soushi nodded. "I thought she was insane."

Silence.

"That's... that's..." Yuki started, all at once losing the I-have-all-the-answers demeanor.

"Exactly why we wanted research!" Daiki explained, throwing his hands up. He wasn't exactly the same person who had caused so much worry and trouble for the three, but it seemed like not much of him was different. Save for the scientist part. "How the hell could that have happened?"

"Calm down," Yuki said, still bewildered. "Do you mean to say that you could actually communicate in your thoughts?"

"Yes," they answered at the same time.

"That would explain the brain waves," Toshiki muttered, walking over by Daiki.

"Hey," Daiki said, a lightbulb forming in his head. "Why don't you two stay here for awhile, so we can check this out? Don't you want to know how that happened?" Seeing the skeptical looks on their faces, he pleaded, "Can't you at least consider it? It won't take long!"

"That's not a half bad idea," Yuki said. "What do you say?"

"Um," Night said hesitantly. "Could we have a moment?"

"Fine."

Night, Riiko and Soushi walked a little ways away. "What do you think?" Night said. "I'll make sure that it doesn't take longer than a week."

"And it's just research?" Riiko asked.

"That's what they said," Soushi said. "But I'm not going anywhere without you. I'm staying if you are."

"Fine," Night replied.

They all walked over, and Night said, "Reseach- and research only. You get one week. Soushi stays here too. And if we do this, you promise that we won't ever hear from Kronos Heaven again?"

Gaku-san said, "'Cept for me. I can still talk to ya. I'm yer friend."

"Except you," Riiko assured him. "Just nothing about Kronos."

Yuki exchanged glances with everyone. "You drive a hard bargain... but yes. Nothing more from us after this."

"Yes!" Night turned and kissed Riiko fully on the lips. "It's all over," he sighed. "Finally. We can be together."

"Just this left," she replied happily. Then she drew an out-of-place Soushi in and gave them a group hug. "I feel like I've finally woken up from a nightmare."

Night and Soushi glanced at each other, agreeing completely.

**Author's Note: Whoohoo! Are you happy that you finally got answers? I know I am. But I apologize for the slow update -.-;; ****Thanks to jensulli11 for bringing something up in her review **

**And now an announcement- there's only one chapter left (if I've planned it all right!) I'm pretty sure Riiko still has to figure out what she's going to do with two boys that both like her... I wonder how that will turn out. And what will happen with this 'research'? Plus, there might be a few loose ends to be tied up... hmm.**

**If anybody has time on their hands, I'm looking for a theme song for this fanfic. Something that sort of goes with it, you know? I'm still looking, but I'd really appreciate it if you guys had some ideas.**

**I have a poll on my profile- if you guys would vote, it would help me a lot. Thank you! :)**

**Arigato, Sienna-shirou**


	11. This One Love

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Love's Guardian, Chapter Eleven: This One Love  
**

_One Week Later_

"It's surprising that they didn't find anything," Soushi remarked.

"Yeah... but I suppose there's some things that even Kronos Heaven can't do." The sun shined on them as it slowly but steadily crept downward symbolizing that the day was coming to an end. Riiko and Soushi were heading back to her apartment, hand-in-hand, after a long day of activities. They'd used their first day back from Kronos to go on their makeup-date from awhile back.

Indeed, Kronos Heaven had come up with no explanation as to why Riiko and Night could hear each other inside their own heads. Maybe it was just a fluke, or a mistake. Riiko chose to see it as an uncommon gift, even if her sanity had been questioned at some points.

"I'm glad this nightmare is over, Riiko." Soushi tightened his grip on her hand for just a moment. "This has been a crazy ride for all of us."

"Definitely," she agreed, squeezing his hand back in return, "but we have gotten some good thinks out of it. Like Night. And Gaku-san." They both knew which one stood out in both their heads.

_'Night.'_ No doubt he was waiting at home for her. The thought of him made Riiko feel happiness love... sadness. Sadness because she knew she would have to choose one of them, and in turn let one of them down, even when she cared for both of them so deeply. It was ripping her heart out, but she might be ripping someone's heart out even more.

She knew who she'd choose.

"Soushi," she said, dreading what was about to come. The air between them changed immediately with just that one word. "I..."

"I know," he interrupted her, turning his gaze upward to the sky. He'd known that it would come to this, eventually. It was inevitable. "Don't worry, Riiko. I understand. You don't have to say it."

"Sou... Soushi," Riiko said, a lump in her throat. Without a word, Soushi pulled her into his arms and crushed her to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. His shirt caught the teardrops as they fell rapidly from her eyes. The crying turned to sobbing as the atmostphere changed, becoming one of unspoken feelings and knowing thoughts.

"How did I know that this would happen?" Soushi asked halfheartedly, a small, sad smile on his lips.

"Why does it always c-come to this?" Riiko choked out. "No matter what, s-somebody doesn't get their happily ever after..."

"Riiko? Riiko, listen, honey," Soushi said, pulling away and taking her face in his hands. "Don't worry about me not getting my happily ever after. My happy ending is you happy, Riiko."

Riiko stared into his warm, ever-loving eyes. He wanted the best for her, even if it wasn't him who could be the one to give it to her. As he used his sleeves to dry her eyes, she asked in a quiet voice, "Are you going to go back to Spain?"

He stopped. "No, Riiko... No, I wasn't planning on it." Immediately a sigh of relief escaped her. "What, ou think you'll be able to get away from me that easily?" he continued, attempting to put a smile on her face. "I'm still gonna be near you, even if Night is there. Who knows when he's gonna need help when it comes to you- you've proven to be a lot of trouble!"

She punched him playfully. "Right. I know I'm quite a handful."

"Of course. Now let's get you back your apartment, Night's probably waiting."

They made the rest of the journey in silence, stopping at her door. It was opened before she could get her keys out, revealing the one and only Night. "Riiko, Soushi," he greeted warmly, drawing the girl in for a hug. "Did you have a nice time?"

"Yes," they answered. Over Riiko's head, Soushi mouthed, _take care of her._ Night smiled and nodded, his expression conveying understanding and gratefulness.

"I'll be in my apartment. See ya," Soushi said over his shoulder, already walking towards his door. Night shut their door and swept Riiko up into his arms, and laid her on her bed, giving her a kiss.

"Everything work out okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she replied, her eyes closed. "He's going to stay here, in Japan. He's not going back to Spain."

"That's good," Night murmured. "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? Why?" Her eyes snapped open to see his grin.

"Because you deserve it. Just let me get it." She watched his retreating figure and wondered what he had done. Would she be a normal girl now, one who could leave the past behind? Would that ever be possible? _'No,'_ she concluded, _'I'm never going to forget all this. It's impossible. But that's okay.'_

"Alright, close your eyes and hold out your hands." Riiko complied, and soon received a small, silver box.

"Night..." she mumbled, her gaze running over the tiny gift. She opened it slowly to see a beautiful, necklace nestled in velvet. It was the crystal heart pendant that they had seen at the jewelry kiosk a little while before. "It's perfect," she breathed.

"I love you, Riiko," he whispered in her ear. "I always will. This is just a small token, but I think it will remind you if we're apart."

"We'll never be apart," she replied. "Never. I love you too, Night. Thank you."

He took the necklace out of the box and pushed aside her hair, fastening it around her neck. "It's amazing what fate had planned for us, don't you think so? After all this trouble, we're still together."

"We definitely have a guardian angel," Riiko smiled.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Love's guardian. Definitely."

As he kissed her, the world stopped for just one moment. They didn't know what the future had in store for them, but for now they were concentrating on this one moment, these two people, this one love.

_**Fin**_

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for staying with me throughout this story! I'm glad that my first fanfiction turned out to be a success. I'd love to hear your comments, critiques, anything. They are all much appreciated. :)**

**Also: The theme song for Love's Guardian is "Breathing" by Lifehouse. Thanks to jensulli11 for suggesting it!**

**Here's to all my wonderful reviewers: ** SpandexTree, _Fluorescent-X,_ mayenr, _entity.unknown,_ Kuja Vessel, _xxxemiko.itooshixxx,_ animeandmangaaddict, _Safaia Bara,_ The Sweetest Taste of Sin,_ EmoLollipop,_ kanamearamhagiL,_ EatBRASIL,_ zeiya007, _SweetRomance123,_ animeaddict787,_ astarinthemaking,_ dark11krad, _KT,_ Seshori, _lazy and cool, _Hikari-No-Kawaii, _shmackz,_ ELRiiC, _chia84,_ jensulli11, _IcyAres_ **...and thank you to any future reviewers I might get!**

**I guess I should have been adding this to the disclaimer: I do own Daiki and Yasutake-san.**

**I don't know if I'll be writing anymore Absolute Boyfriend, but if you want me to, please tell me. Be expecting other anime/manga fanfiction from me though... :)**

**Arigato, Sienna-shirou**


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